


Who We Are Now?

by ALavenderHaze



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-18 20:38:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16524230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALavenderHaze/pseuds/ALavenderHaze
Summary: Tessa and Scott try to navigate life after The Thank You Canada tour and maybe, just maybe, finally figure out what they are beyond their skating partnership, if they are anything at all.OR“Connecting with someone is not necessarily a bond with a significant other, or even a friend, but can be the indefinable - perhaps the rarest and most precious thing in life to find at all.”― Donna Lynn Hope





	Who We Are Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This will probably be angsty more than anything. If I am capable of writing anything else, I will let you know.

_November 2018 (Montreal, Quebec)_

 

It was the last week of November and winter had truly began to settle into the bones of Montreal. Icicles hung off shop awnings, and snow lined the streets and sidewalks. Tessa and Scott were back in Montreal after finishing the Thank You Canada tour. They still had apartments here, lives here which they had put on hold. And that was where Tessa was that late November morning, wandering around her apartment, coffee in hand, a million thoughts in her mind. She wasn’t sure what she was doing here. Though, honestly, she really wasn’t sure of anything at the moment. She wasn’t sure of what she wanted to do next, what came next, where she wanted to live, who she wanted to be and, at the crux of it all, who they were. What were Tessa and Scott, as a unit, beyond this skating partnership, this business partnership, what’s left when they inevitably move on from it all? 

This wasn’t Sochi all over again, no it was different this time, professionally and personally they had a much stronger, communicative and perhaps, most importantly, a more mature relationship, one that they could compartmentalise better than they had before. But still, it didn’t change that fact that this crossroads in their partnership bothered her. It didn’t change the fact that there was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that they would drift apart after this ended. They hadn’t really sat down and discussed what it would look like when this would be all over, the public appearances, show skating, publicity, endorsements, _everything_. But what was _it?_ This undefined thing that this partnership had morphed into had started to become suffocating. And regardless of what it was, she knew it would end eventually. _What then?_ she thought. _Was Scott thinking about this too?_ she wondered. She knew that Scott wanted to coach, that Montreal was where he wanted to be. And, for once, she felt like she was the one floundering, trying to find her bearings. The more uncertain one out of the two. This was new territory; for as long as she could remember, she had goals, she had things, however insignificant, that she wanted to accomplish. And now, for the first time, she didn’t know and it was so unsettling. She knew that she wanted to go back to school. But, she also knew that she needed to figure out what _this_ was, what she and Scott were, beyond the skating, once and for all before she could truly move on to anything else. Post Sochi had taught her as much. So, she picked up her phone and began typing. 

Scott was sitting at his kitchen island reviewing tape of some junior skaters he had just started coaching at Gadbois when he heard his phone ping, notifying him of a text message. He paused the film and grabbed his phone. 

 

**Tessa:** _Hey are you busy? Can we chat?_

**Scott:** _Sure kiddo, what’s up?_

**Tessa:** _Want to come over and chat? I have coffee?_

 

Scott stared at the message he just received from Tessa wondering what she could possibly be wanting to chat about. _Maybe it’s about work; we do have that walk of fame event to go to at the end of the week,_ he thought. He texted back.

 

**Scott:** _Sure, I’ll be there in 15?_

 

He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door without a clue about how wrong he was. 

 

Tessa heard a knock on her door as she set her Keurig to brew. She took a deep breath, _here goes nothing Tess_ she thought to herself as she opened the door. There was Scott, standing there with a bag in hand, she recognised it as one of her favourite patisseries in the city.

 

“Thought I would bring some croissants over.” he said. 

 

He looked at Tessa, standing across from him in the doorway, hair swept up, make up free, in a sweater and leggings. This natural, unguarded version of Tessa was his favourite, he thought. 

 

As they walked into the kitchen and sorted out the croissants on a plate while Tessa grabbed the brewed mugs of coffee, Scott started sensing a bit of tension in the air, though he couldn’t grasp why. Then as they settled down at the kitchen island with the coffee and croissants, Scott couldn’t hold it in anymore and finally said, “So kiddo, what’s up?” 

 

He watched the expression shift in Tessa’s face and could subtly see a bit of nervousness flicker in her eyes as she took a deep breath and said, “Scott, we need to talk.” 

 

_“_ Sure.” Scott said, a bit uncertainly, with a dawning realisation that this might not be about work after all. 

 

He watched, as Tessa steadied herself again, taking a sip of her coffee, taking a deep breath and then she blurted out,”What is this?” 

 

Scott was confused, he didn’t know what she meant. “Sorry?” he replied. 

 

Tessa tried again, “What is _this_?”, she said, gesturing at the space between them. “What are we?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, still oblivious as to what she was referring to. 

 

Tessa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, her hands clasped in her lap as she began talking. “What are we Scott? After all this skating is over, what’s left here? You know that after the Walk of Fame event things are going to change, right?” Her voice eases up, taking on a gentler tone. We won’t be seeing each other at the rink every day; there won’t be numbers to choreograph for, shows to plan for or tours to organise. At least not for a long while, so, what left? I need to know Scott, I need to know who we are personally, off the ice, outside of the rink., without the skating I need to know, I need to..” She trails off as her voice catches in her throat. “ I need to know Scott, so I can move on, and not be stuck in this state of limbo, neither here nor there so I can finally figure out what I am doing with my life, maybe get that MBA. But, I need us to figure out what this is once and for all so I can do that….in peace. So, Scott, what is this? What are we?” 


End file.
